Il Suicidio di Émile Durkheim: un esempio di analisi multivariata

The article proposes a critical analysis of the work written by Émile Durkheim in 1987, entitled Le Suicide. Étude de sociologie, his only empirical research conducted with the very innovative aim of developing a theory founded on strong data basis. My reflection will focus especially on the way Durkheim conducts the analysis of data. Through the employ of the concomitant variations created by Stuart Mill (1843) – that is to say a sort of analysis of ante litteram correlations – Durkheim offers the first great example of employ of fundamental principles of the multivariate analysis. The main objective of this article is to show how Durkheim’s epistemological view influences the methodological choices which orientated his analysis, the generalisations present in his work, and his formulation of concepts and asserts about reality.